Shoe-fastening.



No. 791,332.- A PATENTED MAY so, 1905-.

` LDUVAL. l SHOE PA'STENING. APPLICATION FILED yJ'ULY 29, v1904.

NITED STATES# Patented May 3o, 1905.

TPA-ttm omet.

- Louis DUVAL, oF'NEwTon, Mlissiicnusnfrfrs sPEcIF'icATroN fqmingpaitf i'.ettis Patent No. 791,3s2,dated Mayjdisos.

' ,antistantisuyas,1904. seriuutlzlasos.

the drawings representing like parts.

Thisin'vention relates to improved shoe fas-' tenings adapted'to be employed in lieu of the` `usual strings, buttons, & c., and has for its ob` -jeetlto construct a fastening which may be '3.8, Fig. l. Fig. 4" is an enlarged detail ofshoe 'togethen i f A Figure 1 shows in perspective a'shoe having easily and quickly operated, is exceedingly flexible lfor the ease and comfort of the wearer,

and securelyholds the quarter-pieces of the a'fasteningembodyingl'my invention. Fig. 2

isa similarview, the fastening being vwith-- vdrawn orundone,l F1g.;3.1s a 'transverse section 'of the fastening, taken on the' vplotted line the'tonguefretaining stri p.; 'Fig'.t is a view'of one of the incomplete rings employed in forming 'the vtongue-retaining strip.' Figs. 6 and- 7 are sectional details representing the manner of making thel tongue-retaining` strip. f Fig.

V8 isla sectional detail of the tongue-retaining strip, taken at a point between two of the incomplete' rings.' 'Fig-'9 is a detail of one oi'.y thesmall pieces which is inclosed in the tongue A' 'to'formone of the'projections thereon.' Fig.

. secured, which extends' from the'top of the '.shoeor its quarter-piece to the lower end of Athe usual front opening. The tongue-'retainvsists'of a series'of smal-l Aincomplete rings e,y

ing strips are made alike, or substantiallyso. The tongue-retaining strip` herein shown conentirely7 .inelosedwithin astripc' of leather or other suitable material, the openings of4 said rings' beingv arranged all at the same side of the strip and 'all in alinement to'thereby previde aretaining groove 0r guideway. The

' retaining-strip mayibecmade infm'any different ways and yet embody' my invention; but asa simple way'of making it the strip el of Aleather -ventiom The tongue e is piece-that is to say, it is not attached tothe 0.'i s' adetail showinga portion "of the tongue.

,the shoe. To the front 'edge of each quar- .ter-piecea `ieX-ible tongue-retaining strip is is placed upon'a rod or bar d. (See Fig. 6.)" Thenthe incomplete rrings c are-slipped onto-- said bar endwise.' Thenthe free edges ofthe ra longitudinal groove which eirtendsfromfend to end of the retaining-strip. f77-The Strip," with the inclos'ed rings, is .then` l'ferr'loved; Ior-vwithstrip of are turnedback and over'the rings, `5 5 stitched together, 'thereby entirelyinclosing- .the rings and providing a-retaining-stripwith.

drawnrr'rom the'bar (see Fig. '8) and is y'ready to be applied to the shoe lby attaching the stitched edges of the` `stripto the frontedge of one of the. quarter-piecesj, as shown/in fi, and by attaching the lower fend ci of the strip to the vamp. ITo vholdgthe several rings separated substantially equal distances apart, one or more stitches@2v may be'passed. through the material of the -strip betweenthe rings.'l The retaining-strip thus constructedv is exceedingly ilexible,'as a flexible joint is formedy between each ring and the ring' arranged quite close-together.

are

I do vnot' limitmy inventi'on to i the precise form shown,'.as I desire to include su'ch 'modi- -Elcations as come wlthin the scope of my 1nmade as anindependent shoe-upper andsit is provided along eachside edge with a series of projections e', (see Fig. 4 10,l. adapted to be drawn into the groove or guideway of -the tongue-retaining strip, the* 4e'nd'sof the tongue vforming tabs adapted to' =be engaged bythewearer'for the purpose of pulling the tongue up or down; The tongue .may be v provided with as'many of these proljections as desired; yetsthey are made short,

so that a large'number 'may be employed, in

order that 'the tongue willbe perfeetly. iflexi ble throughoutits length.A 4The projections are formed by placing small pieces e2 of-wood or other material between the two layers of material composing the ltongue vand holding them in place by stitches passing through the tongue around the pieces, or they may bel otherwise held in place. The pieces e2 are thus! entirely inclo'sed between the layers composing the tongue.' Theupper end of. the tongue is first drawn into lthe lower end of the'two tongue-retaining,. strips, so as to hold it in place, and the shoe is then drawn onto the `Ifoot. Then the tongue i's pulled up, the proy jections thereon following along in the grooves or guldeways of the tongue-retalnmg strips i until the upper end of the tongue is brought upto the upper end of the 'retaining-strips. Thetongue is held in the retaining-strips by friction.

It will be seen that the shoe may be fastened by. merely drawing up the tongue 0r unfastened by drawing it down.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to-secureby Letters Patent, isf

1. A shoe-fastening. comprisingA a pair of exible tongue-retaining strips attached to the shoe-upper, each strip comprising a se-y ries of incomplete rings, entirely inclosed` Within a covering and held separated and 1 n alinement to present a tongue recelvlng groove or guideway, and a Hexible .tongue series of pieces entirely inclosed by the material composing thetongue which form projeetions, adapted.` to enter said grooves or guideways, substantially as described.

In testimony whereofI have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LOUIS DUVAL.

V Witnessesf' B. J. Noyes,

MAUD M. PIPER. 

